I Hunt in some Extreme Cold, USUALLY during our Late MLing Season and sometimes during our Gun Season, but I also ONLY use a MLer through our Rifle/Gun Season.
I think it mostly boils down to what Kind of a Barrel your MLer has (Stainless or Blued Steel) and also what you treat your Barrel with. I have a stainless Steel Barrel and I use Montana Extreme Bore Conditioner in it. The No1 Thing I do to prevent Moisture getting into the Barrel is I cut a Piece of Masking Tape about the size of a Quarter and seal the end of the Muzzle with it after I Load. This Does'nt come off in Rain or Snow and works Great.
Now If I have a Load on a Clean Barrel and Hunt in the COLD (0-10 Degreese) I dont Worry. I Come to My Truck from the Cold and get Heated up with the Trucks Heater drive Home and put My MLer away for the Night. Then go back into the Cold and Heat again and again with it and it still Fires Fine, no Mositure....I also do this in the Rain and Heavy Wet Snow, it still Fires Fine. My MLer will go from Cold to Hot to Rain to Snow and work just fine. And I have been in the Pouring Rain with it for Hours, no Problem.
I think Most of the Problem everyone has with Moisture is there Not Covering the End of there Barrel with something, weather it be Tape a Finger Cot or whatever. Now to having a Barrel that has been Shot, and I use Pyrodox and that's the Worst. I have gone Hunting with a Fouled/Shot Barrel for over a week or longer, and Yes I still cover the end of the Barrel with masking Tape after I shot it. I dont have any Problems with Rust or Corrosion. I clean it and it comes out as New as could be. I give most of the Credit to this from the Stainless Steel Barrel, the rest to the Montana Extreme BC and My Masking Tape.
I did get a little Worried this past week as our Hunting Season has been Nothing but Rain and Warm Weather, I figured I'd better check out My MLer's Barrel, I took it apart. I removed the Masking Tape off the end of the Barrel, took out the Breech Plug, Pushed out the Load and what did I find after Hunting with it for 3 Straight Days in the Pouring Rain, A Clean, Dry Spotless Barrel. The more and more I think about it I give al the Credit to that little Piece of Masking Tape at the end of the Barrel.
Now I do the same with My Blued/Steel Barrels and I get the same Results, but the Outside of the Blued Barrels do Rust, but I just wipe off the Rust with some Birchwood Casey Barricade and Im back in action.
Befor I used the Masking Tape on the end of the Muzzle, the Inside of My barrels would be full or Moisture, Rain and Snow, and in the Blued Steel barrels there'd be Rust, the Stainless Barrels would have a slight amount of Rust to, but the outsides would be fine.
It all Boils down to Knowing Your MLer and it's Barrel, Taking the right steps to Prevent Moisture and Rust and Just Hunt and quit Worrying! If I Hunted with My Stainless Barrel in the Pouring Rain with the Muzzle Uncovered with something I'd be Worried too and Clean it as soon as I got Home, I'd also be Worried if it would even Fire..........I LOVE My Masking Tape, something so Little and So Cheap can do Wonders.
(BP)